LET'S CHAT

I have been up since 4:00 a.m, and would you believe I am out of coffee? Though I only drink one cup a day most of the time, not being able to sleep left me with one horrible headache. Thankfully I'll be able to get some coffee in a bit. I won't drink it out of the cup above, but only because I don't have one like that. I think I will drink it out of the cup my daughter sent me as part of last years Christmas present. It is so beautiful. It's
one of those larger size cups; says "May the God, the source of HOPE, fill you with JOY, and PEACE. Romans 15:13 on it. It is painted in gorgeous autumn colors. Beautiful way to start one's day, isn't it?

 This morning's air was cold upon my cheeks when I stepped out onto the patio. It definitely helped clear my head a little. I wasn't happy that I lost so much sleep, but love waking up early like that; love sitting in the semi darkness, listening to the world wake up-watching it too.
  
 The solitude does something to my heart; always makes me acutely aware of the Lord; of all the beauty he created for us, and of all that he has done for me, and continues to do.
  The silence of the early morning hours is a gift, one I may unwrap as slowly as I choose, and I always unwrap them  slowly. I am never in a hurry to get pulled back into the hustle and bustle of the world- into it's noise and chaos.

I was thinking, while unable to sleep, of the millions of people in the world who are friendless, alone, hurting, sick, worried and afraid; was thinking of how different the world is from the world I knew as a child- even as a teenager. Back then people would linger over the fence, chatting while working in the yard or hanging clothes. A house would burn down, and the whole neighborhood would rush to help, would be providing needs before having to be asked. Back then I could ride my boyfriend's bicycle all over town without having to worry about being kidnapped or raped. My sisters and brothers could play out past dark, and Mom would not have to be worried about them.
Kids got bullied back then, just like today, but the bullying didn't lead to suicide.
The bullying was usually a few punches thrown, a bloody nose and black eye and it was over.

The thing that saddens my heart the most is how fearful everybody is, and the fact that families are not as close as they once were. The internet, cell phones, computers, etc, have taken the place of handwritten letters and personalized phone calls. Everybody (children and adults alike) are in a hurry), are so busy ...each into their own life that

they scarcely know what's happening with the rest of the family, are usually shocked when a crisis arrives and a family member is in trouble. "I didn't realize." is the response.  I didn't know."

Life is such a huge gift, but we take it for granted; always assume whatever needs doing can be done tomorrow. The thing is, there is no guarantee that we have the  full 24 hours that we run our lives by. Bad things happen, and not just to bad people.

We need to do our best to face up to things; to not stick our head in the sand when a crisis hits, hoping the problems and issues will disappear. It doesn't work that way. True- a crisis is no picnic- but if we'll just dig deep and pull up some courage, we'd discover ourselves to be much stronger than we believed ourselves to be.
It doesn't hurt to remember that ATTITUDE is everything. It really is. 
The older I get, the more I realize just how true that is.


Geez! Just read what I've written.What a mess! Well, just hope you understand how hard it is to focus without sleep. I'm going to try to get that coffee now.


Do I have any closing words? Yep!


AND...take time to smell the roses.

Thanks for listening, for caring, for your support, prayers, and friendship.
Love you much.

BARB